When displaying dates in a website or application, it is important to ensure that the month and day names are properly capitalized. This not only makes the date look more professional, but it also helps with readability and consistency. In this article, we'll explore how to control the capitalization of month and day names in the DateFormat function.
First, let's understand the different formats in which dates can be displayed. The most common ones are short and long formats. Short format typically displays the date in a numeric format, such as "MM/DD/YYYY" or "DD/MM/YYYY". Long format, on the other hand, displays the date with the month and day names spelled out, such as "December 25, 2021" or "25 December 2021".
To control the capitalization of month and day names in the short format, we can use the "M" and "d" placeholders, respectively. For example, if we want the month and day names to be displayed in all uppercase, we can use the following code:
DateFormat shortDateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("MM/DD/YYYY");
shortDateFormat.setDateFormatSymbols(new DateFormatSymbols() {
@Override
public String[] getShortMonths() {
return new String[]{"JAN", "FEB", "MAR", "APR", "MAY", "JUN", "JUL", "AUG", "SEP", "OCT", "NOV", "DEC"};
}
@Override
public String[] getWeekdays() {
return new String[]{"SUN", "MON", "TUE", "WED", "THU", "FRI", "SAT"};
}
});
In this code, we are setting the DateFormatSymbols to return the month and day names in all uppercase. This will result in the date being displayed as "12/25/2021" instead of "12/25/2021" in the short format.
Similarly, to control the capitalization of month and day names in the long format, we can use the "MMMM" and "EEEE" placeholders, respectively. For example, if we want the month and day names to be displayed in all lowercase, we can use the following code:
DateFormat longDateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("MMMM dd, yyyy");
longDateFormat.setDateFormatSymbols(new DateFormatSymbols() {
@Override
public String[] getMonths() {
return new String[]{"january", "february", "march", "april", "may", "june", "july", "august", "september", "october", "november", "december"};
}
@Override
public String[] getWeekdays() {
return new String[]{"sunday", "monday", "tuesday", "wednesday", "thursday", "friday", "saturday"};
}
});
This will result in the date being displayed as "december 25, 2021" instead of "December 25, 2021" in the long format.
In addition to controlling the capitalization of month and day names, we can also customize the names themselves. For example, if we want the month and day names to be displayed in a different language, we can use the setDateFormatSymbols method to set the corresponding strings.
In conclusion, controlling the capitalization of month and day names in the DateFormat function is important for maintaining consistency and professionalism in displaying dates. By using the appropriate placeholders and customizing the DateFormatSymbols, we can easily achieve the desired format. So the next time you're working with dates in your website or application, keep these tips in mind to ensure a polished and professional display.
